Who Had the Last Original Thought?

Are there any more original thoughts out there? Is there anything that could be thought that hasn't already been thought of? If all thoughts have already been thought, then there are no more original ones left for the rest of us.

We may have thoughts that are original to us but have already been thought of by someone else. There may be thoughts that we believe are original but no one else can see the sense of. There may be thoughts that are cherished and held dear but nonetheless, are unoriginal.

What about inventors? Are they actually having original thoughts? Or are they using old, used thoughts in new ways? Does that qualify for original thoughts?

Sometimes I forget what I was about to say, pause, look up and away as if trying to find my thought, then it comes to me and I remember. Where the heck did that thought go? Are they flying around somewhere just waiting to be plucked out of the database of existing of thoughts?

I try very hard to think up original thoughts. So far, no success. Have you EVER had an original thought?

Oh come one now, don't be so glum.

You know, I fancy myself a bit of an inventor....but when I think about it, it's never really creating something from nothing...it's more about integrating existing things in new ways...

This thread seems fairly original, but of course, the words aren't. Leads me in a weird direction....if all we ever had was original thoughts, how would we be able to communicate? We need commonality in our lives....society...otherwise we're all just a bunch of crazy inventors that no one else can relate to.

Someone, somewhere, right now, is having an original thought, but if it's a good one, it will hopefully be part of us all before too long.

Originally posted by KSPigpen

This thread seems fairly original, but of course, the words aren't. Leads me in a weird direction....if all we ever had was original thoughts, how would we be able to communicate? We need commonality in our lives....society...otherwise we're all just a bunch of crazy inventors that no one else can relate to.

You know something? I hadn't thought of that!

Most thoughts today are the redesigning of already thought up ideas. Two familiar things coming together in a unique way does count as an original thought to me though. Our brains are pattern based so really anything we come up with has to have some kind of pre-existing stimuli thats based on a past design. Putting it all together in a new way happens a good bit though. I don't think we've ran out of new thoughts just yet.

And to look at it yet one more way...anyone can have an original thought, any time. I'm thinking of a cow with twelve legs, blue and white checkered skin and wings like a bumblebee...wearing a motorcycle helmet with a dashboard hula girl on top.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that no one has EVER had that thought. Makes it pretty original. The individual components are not, but the thought was. There is no practical USE for that thought, and it certainly doesn't benefit anyone else in the world, but it WAS original. I think originality might be slightly overrated.

(no, I'm not using any illegal substances right now...that wouldn't be original. )

The helmet was white, btw, in case you were wondering.

reply to post by KSPigpen


Why do I have the feeling that when prompted by someone in the near future to come up with a "crazy design" for something a checkered skin cow will be involved and I'll be amazed at my "originality"?

[edit on 28-7-2009 by Eitimzevinten]

There surely was only one original thought, everything else is an extension of that original thought, kinda like tracing your family tree right back if it was possible to the first man and woman who started the whole ball rolling...........'spose that would be Adam n Eve then if I was the religious kind.

Originally posted by Wolfie_UK
There surely was only one original thought, everything else is an extension of that original thought, kinda like tracing your family tree right back if it was possible to the first man and woman who started the whole ball rolling...........'spose that would be Adam n Eve then if I was the religious kind.

That's pretty deep. But I think you're right. How could there be more than ONE 'original' anything?

reply to post by KSPigpen


Aw c'mon you guys! Original thoughts

"...Thought is simply energy; and we know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it simply 'is'. Some people have labeled this energy as the mass consciousness or group mind. I prefer to think of it as more of an overlay.

Each person on earth has thoughts and these thoughts are infused with some form of emotional energy. So, in turn, these thoughts and emotions go into the ethers as a thought and energy infused packet, which we feel or 'tune in' to."

Every thought has already been thought. We are reabsorbing thought energy and infusing it with our own individual context, only to redistribute that energy again and again.

reply to post by Hazelnut

Thoughts are not energy. They are chemical reactions, and chemicals can be destroyed -- or at least they can be broken down into their component atoms and molecules.

Thoughts do not last forever.

For example, one common neurotransmitter (brain chemical) is "glutamate". Glutamate itself can react with with other chemicals in ways that strips glutamate of some of its molecules -- thereby breaking down the glutamate into individual molecules.

Glutamate is only one example of a neurotransmitter. There are others.

...and it's not even accurate to say that glutamate or any other single neurotransmitter holds "thoughts" or memories. They chemicals themselves don't hold these thoughts, but rather the way the combination of these chemicals.


And Yes -- I think some scientists, artists and inventors obviously still have original thoughts.

[edit on 7/28/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

How about that Shamwow guy? or the maker of the "Snuggie"? those were pretty original ideas i think.. If your not talking about original in that sense, then it is impossible to know for sure because it must be truly original, like... me saying i want to make a house out of fingernails could be pretty original, but i do get what your saying, it has been a long long time

Nigel Tufnel

GUITAR WORLD: There are reports that you've devised a Nigel Tufnel Theory of Music. What exactly is this theory?

NIGEL TUFNEL: This is an exclusive — it's not been published before. Here's the theory: People read music, and they read notes on what they call a staff. But if you can't read music, you can't play music that is written. Correct? You're with me on that? Good. Now, everyone knows how to count, don't they? Let me hear you count to five.

GW: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
TUFNEL: Good. Now, A is the first letter of the alphabet. Yes? So A would be...?

GW: 1?

TUFNEL: Yes! So on a chart, instead of writing A in music terms-we're playing in the key of A-you go: I for A, 2 for B, 1 for A and 3 for C. See? [Fig. 1] That's so much simpler.

GW: What happens in the case of a chord like G13?

TUFNEL: Okay. This is my other theory: If you're playing that type of music, you shouldn't be doing it.

Wise cat. He also invented the collapsible wine glass.

www.spinaltapfan.com...

Originally posted by Hazelnut
Every thought has already been thought. We are reabsorbing thought energy and infusing it with our own individual context, only to redistribute that energy again and again.

What about music, cover songs.. every other year I hear the same tune, different singer, slightly different but basically the same. Makes me wonder when humanity has made all possible compositions of available notes with different combinations of instruments, music is finite. The latest instruments, "technology" only extended original music for a little while but I guess that will be finite someday. Imagine a library full of all music, there would be no more new song writers, no new lyrics, everything has already been said and played.

Somehow though it is reassuring that no one in this world is really original. Makes us all plain and dull people, no more "special" or extraordinary" individuals so no more opposites. Those who do believe they are original are simply fooling themselves.

Who had the last original thought?

This is just a suggestion, but I think a prime candidate for that honour is the person who invented the wheel.

I've given this a lot of thought over the years, and have observed that our entire civilization has been built on the wheel. From the wheels on carts to the little cogs in machinery. (I'm not claiming to be the only person who has ever thought of this )

I know some civilizations didn't have the wheel and I'm not ignoring agricultural practices.

BUT - try to imagine life without the wheel. What a different world we'd be living in.

i think the universe is tide based and it flows between two large mass's of anti-matter...


can this qualify as an original thought ?

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People
reply to post by Hazelnut

 

Thoughts are not energy. They are chemical reactions, and chemicals can be destroyed -- or at least they can be broken down into their component atoms and molecules.

Thoughts do not last forever.

For example, one common neurotransmitter (brain chemical) is "glutamate". Glutamate itself can react with with other chemicals in ways that strips glutamate of some of its molecules -- thereby breaking down the glutamate into individual molecules.

Glutamate is only one example of a neurotransmitter. There are others.

...and it's not even accurate to say that glutamate or any other single neurotransmitter holds "thoughts" or memories. They chemicals themselves don't hold these thoughts, but rather the way the combination of these chemicals.


And Yes -- I think some scientists, artists and inventors obviously still have original thoughts.

[edit on 7/28/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

Those are very interesting points. I believe there are people who have original thoughts, but I must not be one of them. Mostly, the thoughts I have are remnants of someone else's theories and suppositions. As hard as that is to admit , it is true.

I used to work in an office and thought it would be great to see a sit-com about office workers - lo and behold - The Office was born. Many things like this happen.

I have had an original idea for a better elecromagnetic motor. It seems like it would work, but i havent created it yet. The others i have seen are nothing at all like my idea.

I was thinking that to make drag car racing safer that they should extended a metal guide from the bottom of the car into a grove running the length of the track just like slot car racing






links aren't working

[edit on 29-7-2009 by fatdad]

reply to post by KSPigpen


But te helmet I thought of was black....so does that make my thought original with the same components? And how do we know your checkers started white or black and mine whatever the oopposite is? Were your legs thin and weak or strong and muscley? Was the hula girl on a little green stand that said "Hawaii!" or did it say, "Aloha?"

reply to post by fatdad


AW, I wanted to see what videos you posted. Your idea sounds interesting and my kid would love it. All he ever talks about is cars.